Технический английский язык базовый курс. Technical English. Учебное пособие

5.10. Complete the text with words from the list below. Try to summarize the content of the text in 35 words or less

Nanotechnology is this new field of science and engineering that you’re going to see everywhere. You may not realize it, but nanotechnology is already changing the game. It’s given us 1 _____ computers and 2 _____

building materials, not to mention every 3 _____ you’ve ever used.

The key is the discovery of new, 4 _____ materials. Take a look at the objects around you, the 5 _____ you love, the 6 _____ equipment you use, the 7 _____ you wear.

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Think about the materials they’re made of. It might seem incredible, but we can make something revolutionary from something that seems 8 _____.

When regular materials are made very small, they can become 9 _____, brighter, even biocompatible. For example, when it comes to 10 _____

technology, we take a regular piece of glass and coat it with a 11 _____ film that’s hundreds of times 12 _____ than the foil in your kitchen.

That kind of technology can even turn 13 _____ windows into 14 _____

solar panels.

When you combine this new technology with the unlimited creativity of humanity, the 15 _____ are endless. We’re going to see ultra-16 _____

batteries that can power trucks, trains, and even airplanes; drinking water that can be harvested from the humidity in the air; 17 _____ levels that can be monitored continuously and painlessly. Plus, all sorts of 18 _____ and gene therapies that can be delivered directly inside the 19 _____.

Nanotechnology is opening up a whole new universe of 20 _____ where our imagination is the limit.

5.11. Translate into English

1.Свойства элементов, с которыми мы знакомы по нашему повседневному опыту, могут не проявляться на наноуровне.

2.Например, уменьшая объем золота до размера наночастиц, вы снижаете его температуру плавления, потому что, когда вы уменьшаете любую частицу до наноразмеров, отношение поверхности к объему значительно увеличивается.

3.Кроме того, на наноуровне золото ведет себя как полупроводник,

ав обычном состоянии оно проводит электричество.

4.В своём обычном состоянии алюминий не обладает магнитными свойствами, но очень маленькие скопления атомов алюминия могут их проявлять.

5.Некоторые элементы, например кремний, практически не меня-

ются на наноуровне, что делает их идеальными для транзисторов

идругих применений.

6.При работе с объектами, размеры которых сопоставимы с размерами наночастиц или меньше, мы сталкиваемся с областью квантовой механики, которая часто противоречит законам классической физики.

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7.Обычно электрон не может пройти через изолятор, но если изолятор достаточно тонкий, то электрон может переместиться с одной стороны изолятора на другую.

8.Это явление называется туннелированием электронов, однако название на самом деле не дает представления о том, насколько необычным может быть этот процесс.

9.Электрон перемещается с одной стороны изолятора на другую, фактически не проникая в сам изолятор и не занимая пространство внутри него.

10.Можно сказать, что он телепортируется с одной стороны на другую.

5.12.Think of the engineering discipline you are being trained in and answer the following questions

1.Is nanotechnology already part of the area? If yes, how is it used?

2.If nanotechnology is not used in the area now, does it have any prospects in it? What are they?

3.What are the possible benefits and threats of using nanotechnology in the area?

4.What might the distant future of the area be like if nanotechnology and its methods keep developing?

5.13.Listen to information about nanotechnology and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F). Correct the wrong statements

1.The chemical composition of nanomaterials is radically different from the chemical composition of bulk materials.

2.Nanoparticles are composed of 100 atoms or less.

3.The behavior of nanomaterials is determined by their shape and size.

4.All nanomaterials sink in solutions because of their small size.

5.Nanomaterials may differ in color from their bulk counterparts.

6.Scientists can manipulate nanomaterials so that they meet specific requirements.

7.Bulk silver has antimicrobial properties.

8.Some nanostructures made of silver are transparent.

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5.14 Listen again and fill in the table. Add your own ideas

5.15. Tell about a nanoobject. While preparing your report answer the following questions

1.What is the structure of the object?

2.How can such an object be obtained?

3.What are the properties of the object?

4.How may such an object be used?

5.What are the advantages and disadvantages of the object?

6.What are the future prospects of the object?

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6.1. Read the quote and comment on it

“Man is a robot with defects.” (Emile M. Cioran)

6.2. Read the text and fill in the table

ROBOTS AT WORK

The term robot comes from the Czech word robota, generally translated as “forced labor.” This describes the majority of robots fairly well. Most robots in the world are designed for heavy, repetitive manufacturing work. They handle tasks that are difficult, dangerous, or boring to human beings.

For example, the robotic arm is frequently used in manufacturing roles. Its job is to move an end effector from place to place. You can outfit robotic

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arms with all sorts of end effectors, which are suited to a particular application. One common end effector is a simplified version of the hand, which can grasp and carry different objects. Other end effectors include blowtorches, drills, and spray painters.

Most industrial robots work in auto assembly lines, putting cars together. Robots can do a lot of this work more efficiently than human beings because they are so precise. They always drill in the same place, and they always tighten bolts with the same amount of force, no matter how many hours they’ve been working. Manufacturing robots are also very important in the computer industry. It takes an incredibly precise hand to put together a tiny microchip.

You may find robots working alongside construction workers, plastering walls accurately and faster than a human can do the job. Robots assist in underwater exploration. Surgeons use robots to handle delicate surgeries. They even handle flipping burgers in the kitchen. These robots all have a form of robotic arm.

Robotic arms are relatively easy to build and program because they only operate within a confined area. Things get a bit trickier when you send a robot out into the world.

First, the robot needs a working locomotion system. If the robot only needs to move over smooth ground, wheels are often the best option. Wheels and tracks can also work on rougher terrain. But robot designers often look to legs instead, because they are more adaptable. Building legged robots also helps researchers understand natural locomotion – it’s a useful exercise in biological research.

Designers commonly look to the animal world for robotic locomotion ideas. Six-legged insects have exceptionally good balance, and they adapt well to a wide variety of terrain. Four-legged robots such as Boston Dynamics’ Spot look like dogs, and the similarity breeds comparisons as they take on dangerous jobs such as construction inspection.

Aerial robots are also inspired by real-world examples. Although many use wings like we see on airplanes, researchers have also developed techniques using fly-wing-like soft actuators. Most people now are familiar with the propeller-powered drones that provide amazing camera shots for entertainment, sporting events, and surveillance. Some of these hovering

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bots can also be networked together to create swarms of robots such as those seen at the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games in 2021.

Underwater, robots may walk across the sea floor. One example is Silver2, a crab-like robot designed to find and clean up plastic waste. The Benthic Rover II uses treads instead. Snake robots, which of course take their name from the animals whose locomotion they copy, can operate underwater and on land. They even work well in the human body, where they can perform surgical repairs.

6.3. Choose the correct option. Prove your choice with the corresponding lines of the text

1.The origin of the word robot suggests that robots

a)can work better than humans.

b)can only work and do not have feelings.

c)are mechanical.

d)are designed to do work that humans can’t or don’t want to do.

2.The robotic arm

a)cannot be reprogrammed for performing different tasks.

b)can perform a variety of operations depending on its end effector.

c)has capabilities exceeding those of a human hand.

d)is the exact copy of the human hand.

3.Manufacturing robots are very important in the computer industry because

a)they are precise.

b)they are smaller than humans.

c)they always apply the same amount of force.

d)they don’t get tired.

4.What do construction, medical, and kitchen robots have in common?

a)They all are faster than humans.

b)They all are more accurate than humans.

c)They all have the same shape.

d)They all work alongside humans.

5.Why do designers develop robots with legs?

a)Because wheels and tracks do not work on rough terrain.

b)Because people always want to solve more difficult problems.

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c)Because legs do less harm to natural environments than wheels or tracks.

d)Because a legged robot is more versatile.

6.What number of legs is the best option for a robot designed to work in

7.Which of the following are propeller-powered drones not capable of?

a)flapping their wings

b)hovering

c)swarming

d)taking photos

8.Silver2 underwater robot

a)moves on tracks.

b)moves on legs.

c)moves like a snake.

d)is a robotic arm.

6.4. Find the English equivalents of the following phrases in the text

1.происходить от чешского слова

2.выполнять сложные, опасные или неинтересные для человека

задачи

3.подходить для конкретного применения

4.упрощенный вариант руки

5.сверлить в одном и том же месте

6.затягивать болты с одинаковым усилием

7.относительно просто собрать и запрограммировать

8.работать в ограниченном пространстве

9.обратиться к миру животных в поисках идей для передвижения роботов

10.обладать исключительным равновесием

11.хорошо адаптироваться к самым разным ландшафтам

12.браться за опасную работу

13.беспилотные летательные аппараты с винтовым двигателем

14.объединяться в сеть для формирования роя роботов

15.работать под водой и на суше

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6.5. Find words in the text whose meaning is similar to the meaning of the following words

6.6. Find words in the text whose meaning is opposite to the meaning of the following words

6.7. a) Match the adjectives / nouns and the nouns to form all possible word combinations. Make sentences of your own with the word combinations

b) Match the verbs and the nouns to form all possible word combinations. Make sentences of your own with the word combinations

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